Use
To loosen dough: the formation of carbon dioxide creates small gas bubbles before and mainly during baking, which loosen the dough of bread or pastry, making it more edible.
Working principle
General reaction of chemical leavening agents: leavening agent + acid + heat + water gases (carbon dioxide, possibly ammonia) + by-products.
Substances
1. organic leavening agents:
- Baking yeasts are fungi of the genus and form alcohol and the gas carbon dioxide (alcoholic fermentation) from the glucose contained in flour. Yeasts are living organisms. To make them feel as comfortable as possible, warm water should be used for the dough and the dough should not be overheated but left in a warm place before baking. Sufficient liquid and a little sugar support the fermentation process.
- In sourdough, lactic acid bacteria multiply in the fermentation process and produce lactic acid, acetic acid and carbon dioxide from sugar.
- Alcohol is also used as a leavening agent, as it boils at 79 ° C and evaporates during baking.
2. inorganic leavening agents:
- Baking soda (sodium hydrogen carbonate) is the most widely used chemical leavening agent and is usually found in baking powder.
- Potash (potassium carbonate) is suitable for flat and special pastries such as gingerbread and honey dough.
- Staghorn salt (ammonium hydrogen carbonate) decomposes completely into the three gases ammonia, carbon dioxide and water when heated above 60°C. It is used for flat pastries such as gingerbread, beavers and cookies and is not suitable for high pastries (bread, cakes) because the unpleasant-smelling ammonia is retained. For detailed information, see under staghorn salt.
- Other carbonates: potassium carbonate, potassium hydrogen carbonate.
3. excipients: all baking leavening agents require water and partly heat to function. The carbonates (sodium bicarbonate, potash) also need an acid (acidifier, acid carrier). Some of the acids used are tartrate (potassium hydrogen tartrate), tartaric acid, acidic sodium pyrophosphate, monocalcium phosphate and citric acid. The acid can be used to control the formation of carbon dioxide. Namely, depending on the acid, the formation of the gas occurs before or during baking (so-called pre-baking, main baking, post-baking). The “biological” acids potassium hydrogen tartrate, tartaric acid and citric acid react very rapidly with sodium bicarbonate. Acidic sodium pyrophosphate and monocalcium phosphate monohydrate develop their effects later. Baking powders also contain a starch, which is added to increase shelf life.
Organic baking powder
Organic baking powders contain, in addition to sodium bicarbonate and starches, exclusively auxiliary substances from natural sources, for example tartar from wine barrels.
Baking powder without phosphate
Baking powders without phosphate contain an acidifying agent without phosphate content, for example tartar instead of the acidic sodium pyrophosphate.
Things to know
Mechanical methods (beating, stirring, blowing) are also used to loosen dough. If the effect of baking powder is too weak, additional acid can be added, for example, in the form of lemon juice or vinegar. If, on the contrary, the dough is already sufficiently acidic, only baking soda can be used (without acidifier), otherwise the acid in the baking powder will make the pastry even more acidic. If hot water is added to baking powder, it begins to react strongly and foam. Therefore, in contrast to yeast dough, warm or even hot water should not be used when baking powder is used if it is desired that the pastry will not rise until baking. Reaction of baking soda with acid: NaHCO3 + H+ Na+ + CO2 + H2O
